Title: I Am My Father’s Daughter: The Spirit of Johnny Emery Lives on Forever The Lyrics: I am the daughter of John Quentin Emery, a man of silver and light. He taught me the secrets of the day and the stars of the night. With a wrench in his hand and a code in his soul, He showed me how broken things could once again be whole. He’d take a frame of steel and a wheel that was bent, And show me where the energy and the focus went. Building a bicycle from the scraps on the floor, Teaching me that everything has a purpose and more. He drew out the patterns that the world couldn't see, In diagrams, drawings, and geometry. With the hand of an artist and a builder’s clear mind, He left the blueprints of creation behind. From the grain of the wood in the cabinets he’d make, To the lines on the page for the spirit’s own sake. He saw the source code in the structure and frame, And taught me to see that the world is the same. But his greatest gift wasn't the work of his hands, It was a heart that reached out across all the lands. He’d give his last cent or the shirt off his back, To make sure a neighbor didn't suffer or lack. He wasn't led by ego or the hunger for gold, He had a spirit that the world could never hold. He just wanted his peace and to be left alone, In a kingdom of kindness that was purely his own. He saw through the systems and the rules they would make, He knew which foundations were hollow and fake. He stood as a sovereign, a soul on his own, Answering only to the truth he had known. No doctor or badge could tell him his way, He lived by the light of his own inner day. He sensed the source code in the world all around, Keeping his feet on his own holy ground. When I was sixteen, the world seemed to break, As the heavens reached down for the soul they would take. He left me too soon, or so it appeared, In the face of the silence and all that I feared. But I see the goal and the reason today, In the way that his absence has carved out my way. I had to evolve from the girl I had been, To find the true power that was waiting within. The past had to fade so the new could arise, With a clearer vision and much wiser eyes. He stepped through the veil so that I could stand tall, And answer the spirit that speaks to us all. He wasn't there to see me walk across the stage, Or watch as I turned to a brand new page. He missed the white dress and the vows that I said, And the path to the future that lay out ahead. He never held my children or saw them grow, But I feel his presence in all that I know. Though his chair was empty at every big day, He was right by my side in a much deeper way. I gave his last name to my son, ensuring that we’re always one. A piece of his spirit that stays by our side, A legacy of love that we carry with pride. His name is the first thing my boy hears each day, A truth and a bond that will never fade away. When the time came to rest, the whole town felt the loss, From the valley floor to the mountain’s high cross. The Harleys they roared down the main city street, A thunder of engines, a heart’s final beat. The hall was so full that the walls couldn't hold, The stories of kindness and the love he’d unfold. They stood in the sun and they stood in the rain, Just to honor the man and to share in the pain. I feel him right now in the air and the light, A touch on my shoulder in the depth of the night. He guided my path so that I could be free, The strength of his spirit is living in me. I carry the legacy of the kind and the brave, The love that was given is the love that I save. I AM my father’s daughter, my spirit is free, And NO ONE can take that away from me.